Electric water-heater.



8.. 5 m x. W N R w wi. m M y MA 1. m .5 m E N E m w x 0 H FIDDES & A SEIFKE ELECTRIC WATER HEATER. APPLICATION FILED DEO.18, 1907.

WITNESSES. 4 E

I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OSCAR FIDDES AND HERMAN A. SEIFKE, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

ELECTRIC WATER-HEATER.

no. ssaim.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, OSCAR H. FInDEs and HERMAN 'A.- SEIFKE, citizens of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San F ranciscoand 'State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Electric Water-Heaters, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the present invention is to provide an electric water heater by which water can be very rapidly heated, and which will be simple in construction, convenient in operation, and not liable to getout of order. A further object is to rovide means for apprising the user when t e electric current is assing through the heater.

n the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a side view of the device broken away to show the interior; Fig. 2 is a broken view of the other side. J

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates a stand or base, upon which the apparatus is mounted. Between said base and a top 2 a casing 3 is secured by a tie rod 4. Screwed to lugs 5 on said top 2 is a ring 6 of metal to which is cemented a bowl or vessel 7 preferably of glass, and having an opening 8 at the top for supplying the vessel with water. A packing ring 9 is interposed between the metal ring 6 and the top 2. Secured to the under side of said top 2 is a depending heating tube 10 closed at the bottom, from which extends a spout 11 controlled by a stop-cock 12. Leadingto a part of said tube 10 near the bottom is atube 13, which is connected with the top 2. through a hole therein, thereby forming a water conduit from the bowl to the tube 10. Around said tube 10 is wrapped mica insulation 14 and around the mica is wound a coil ofhigh-resistance wire 15, the

by wires 16, 17, with the poles of an ordinary e e ctric switch 18 secured in the base 1. The

heating tube 10 connects with the interior of the bowl 7 through a hole 19 in the top 2, there being mounted on the. top 2 around or over said hole a tubular valvecasing or seat 20, on the u per edge of which rests a fiat circular chec valve 21,-having a stem 22, which is guided by a bridge 23 across the valve casing; Normally this valve is closed against the entrance of water into the tube 10 y from the bowl. Screwedinto said top 2 is a Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 18, 1907.

Patented May 19, 1908.

Serial No. 406,990.

small electric lam 24, preferably colored, as of a red color, t e terminals of said lamp being, by wires 25, 26, connected with th switch in multiple with the coil.

.In operation, the user pours water into the bowl, and closes the circuit by means of the switch, when the water in thereceptacle will be found to be sufliciently hot for ordinary comparatively slowly due to the fact that the water would circulate freely in the circuit of the tube 19, the conduit 13 and the bowl, and therefore it would be necessary to heat the entire body of water uniformly. With the present construction, such is not the case. Only the water in the tube 10 is heated, so that hot water'can be obtained very quickly. On the other hand a construction in which the heating tube 10 isv closed at the top and communicates with the bowl only at the bottom, would be inoperative, or at least very inconvenient,b ecause if steam were generated in the heating tube, it

would riseand collect in the top of said tube.

It would then frequently happen that u on opening the faucet, steam, instead of 0t water, would flow therefrom. We avoid this objection by providin the check valve 21, which operates in the ollowing manner. The height of the valve casing 20 above the top 2 is arran ed to be such, thrt fora given weight 0 the check valve 21 before the steam collects therein as far down as the outlet for the water, the pressure of the confined body of steam, being the same both atthe top and. bottom, and being equal to that due to a column of water of the same depth, is sufficient to raise the check valve 21 from off 103 seat, so that steam can escape. The heat of the escaping steam is taken up by the water in the bowl and is not lost. But now it can never happen that, upon opemng the faucet, steam can flow therefrom, so long as there is any water in the bowl. The faucet will however generally be opened before sufficient steam has been generated to fill the tube 10 as low as the spout 11.

When the electric switch is on, the electric lamp 24, illuminating the water in the bowl,

inavery attention to the act that the current is on, and by having the lamp of a red or other color, the device presents a pleasing appearance when in operation. a

We claim 1. In anelectric water heater, the'combination of awater heating tube, a coil of resistance wire around the same, a vessel above the tube, and communicating with the bottom of said tube, a faucet leading from the top of said tube, and a check valve between the top of the tube and the vessel, substantially as described.

2. In an electric water heater, the combination of awater heating tube, a coil of rest manner directs the users Y'sistance wire around the same, a vessel above the tube,'and communicating with the bottom of said tube, a faucet leading from the top of said tube, a check valve between the top of the tube and the vessel, and an electric lamp in the vessel, in multiple with the heating coil, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

OSCAR H. FIDDES. HERMAN A. SEIFKE.

Witnesses:

FRANCIS M. WRIGHT, D. B. RICHARDS, 

